TSA Banned From Accepting ICE Arrest Warrants as Airport ID Under New Act

The “Crime Doesn’t Fly Act of 2025” has a very specific target: what the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can and cannot accept as identification when you’re trying to catch a flight. Specifically, Section 2 of the Act bans the TSA Administrator from accepting two types of documents issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as valid ID at airport checkpoints: the Warrant for Arrest of Alien (Form I-200) and the Warrant of Removal/Deportation (Form I-205).

The ID Check-In

Think of this as tightening the rules on what counts as a standard travel ID. Currently, the TSA accepts a wide range of documents—driver’s licenses, passports, military IDs—but this bill explicitly removes two enforcement-related documents from that list. This means that if you show up to the airport and try to use an ICE Form I-200 or I-205 as your proof of identity to get past security, the TSA agent is legally required to turn you away, just as they would if you showed them a utility bill or a library card.

Who Gets Grounded, and Who Doesn't

This change is hyper-focused and primarily affects non-citizens who might be in immigration proceedings. For most travelers—the folks with a driver’s license or passport—this bill changes nothing about their routine. However, for individuals who may be in the country legally but are currently in the immigration system and rely on one of these specific ICE warrants as their primary or only available form of government identification, this creates a major roadblock for domestic air travel. If they lack another accepted ID, they simply won't fly.

The Deportation Loophole

Here’s where the bill gets procedural: it includes a crucial exception. The ban on accepting these warrants as ID does not apply if the person is actively being removed or deported from the U.S. according to immigration law. In other words, if ICE is physically escorting someone out of the country, those warrants can still be used for identification purposes during that official removal process. This clarifies that the bill is targeting the use of these forms for routine travel, not the process of official deportation.

The Real-World Impact on Travel

For the TSA, this simplifies their job by removing non-standard enforcement documents from the general ID pool, which could theoretically speed up routine screening. But for the small, specific population who might be relying on a Form I-200 or I-205 for ID—perhaps because their primary ID has expired or is being processed—this bill creates an immediate access limitation. They will need to ensure they have an alternative, standard form of identification (like a foreign passport or a state ID) to travel domestically by air. If they don't, they might find themselves stuck, even if they have a ticket and are otherwise compliant with all other travel requirements.